A blog on the natural state of being-awareness by Nathan Spoon. If you assume that you are a someone, this someone is only a pretending character. Direct investigation right here and now can reveal that this character has no actual basis or existence within this which presently and always IS.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Who does a dualistic practice? Let's look into that first. If you are assuming that you are a separate person, an individual, then you may also find, in doing a practice, that you are getting some benefit from it. Only the quality of the benefit will be as limited as the assumption that it is predicated on.

The most helpful practice that I am aware of (it may be more accurate to say that this is an anti-practice; because it helps to reveal the present nonexistence of the practitioner!) is that of turning back repeatedly to your own natural awareness--initially by asking "Who am I?" This is helpful for the simple fact that to be continually misapprehending yourself is similar to banging your head against a wall. Nothing new is added to the scene for you to stop banging your head against a wall. Only something extraneous is left off from. And the very instant that you stop the "action" of banging your head against the wall of one thing or another--you may discover that no wall exists. There is only this simple and ever-present and natural awareness.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Right now is the time to have a look and see if the separate person that you imagine yourself to be can even be found.

It can not be that you are your body for the simple fact that you do not always see or experience your body (as in deep dreamless sleep)--and yet you remain to come back around to some experience of your body. Nor can it be that you are your mind; for, once again, you do not have a constant experience of your mind. Also it can not be that you are "in" that place that you might imagine yourself to be "in"--you can not be that invisible marble inside your head, between and behind your eyes. In sleep you are not "there".

So where are you? What are you? Who are you?

***

Right now, in the natural immediacy of your experience, you can not deny that you are. And you can not say what or who you are. You are simply not findable. You can not even say that you are the awareness that thoughts about your experiences are arising in because that would seem to negate these thoughts. And all thoughts and all things--however ephemeral or dreamy they may appear to be--do exist as the plain shining out of what is.

You are what is. Right now. Don't take my words for it. Have a look now and now and always now.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

What kind of state were you in [when you wrote the poems in your book]?

I was in the natural state. In sanskrit this is sometimes called sahaj samadhi--which means the natural state. 'Sahaj' means natural and 'samadhi' means state. It is the same state that both of us are in right now.

It is perfectly natural to not find a line drawn around yourself, to not find that you seem to be separate from other people. In fact everyone and everything is with us in this natural state right now. Only so often people take themselves to be in a state where they seem to be separate. If you look now you can not explain in what way you are separate. So it must be only a passing assumption--a very simple misunderstanding.

And if you cut out the misunderstanding, if you question into the assumption by looking for 'who' or 'where' the seemingly separate person is, you will see immediately that such a 'one' can not be found.

Certainly! Much can be said and much is said. And yet, is anything that is said final? Is anything that is said conclusive?

No!

What is 'conclusive'? It is a word, a concept, a thought--like anything. It is only energy pulsing in the mind, only breath vibrating some vocal cords.

AND 'conclusive' is also a pointer to your own natural being which is complete, whole, joyful, at ease, pure, and simple. This being, this awareness is the you that you already are. You can not be anywhere other than right here and there is no happening, no occurence apart from now. This here is what is. You are what is. And if you are not realizing that you are what is you can look now and realize now.

What do I realize?

Well you do not realize any 'what' at all. 'What' is simply another passing word, another passing thought. It is simply the content of the moment. You realize you are the you that you already are. Which means that you stop putting mental energy into trying to get or realize anything, and you stop trying to become someone or become something more--and you simply rest in your own always-present being.

To be simple is to be in your own natural being which is prior to all feeling.

The first feeling is the feeling "I am". And this feeling is a seed of assumption that all other assumptions grow out from. So if you feel like you are separate you investigate as any assumption arises back to this fundamental assumption.

When you investigate your basic feeling of being a separate, independent someone, you can not find where this "one" is. You may feel like you are somewhere in your body. But then which you is seeing the "you" it feels like is somehwere within your body.

***

There is only the open spaciousness of aliveness, beingness, awareness that every feeling and every thought is appearing in and playing out of. And this is you--as you are shining out through the body and the mind and the heart of the person that you are--as you are shining out as all that is. Now and now and always now.

***

This matter is so damn simple that you will never get it. You are the you that you already are. Now and now and always now.

You are as undeniable and as you are indescribable. Simple awareness. Simple beingness. Simple aliveness. Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, and thinking. Now and now and always now.

Not-knowing is awareness, aliveness, beingness, what is. This is not known. It is only pure knowing--knowing-ness.

All that is is in not-knowing and it is that same not-knowing. And so the Sage is nothing other than not-knowing. His body is not-knowing. Her mind is not-knowing. His heart is not-knowing. Her actions and words are entirely not-knowing.

Meetings on Nonduality

"The pure truth of the Atman, which is buried under Maya and the effects of Maya, can be reached by meditation, contemplation and other spiritual disciplines such as a knower of Brahman may prescribe--but never by subtle arguments."

--Vivekachudamani

Nathan & Jamie

"The person without discrimination is like a frog in a well; just as the frog in the well does not know anything either of good or of bad and so dies in its ignorance in the well itself, in the same way human beings, vainly born in Brahmanda do not know either good or bad regarding themselves and are born only to die in ignorance."

--Tripura Rahasya

"Realization takes time to steady itself. The Self is certainly within the direct experience of everyone but not in the way people imagine. One can only say that it is as it is. Just as incantations or other devices can prevent fire from burning a man when otherwise it would do so, so vasanas (inherent tendencies impelling one to desire one thing and shun another) can veil the Self when otherwise it would be apparent. Realization takes time to steady itself. Spasmodic Realization is not enough to prevent re-birth, but it can not become permanent as long as there are vasanas."